Dark chocolate French wines

Lindt Brush My friends in chocolate, I have good news. The Lindt chocolate shop slated for Mayfair mall is eight days from opening. Formal blast-off date: July 14. (To lovers of the dark: Have you ever had the Lindt Excellence 70 Percent Cocoa Bar? And the 85 Percent bar?) The Lindt & Sprüngli store will […]

Lindt BrushMy friends in chocolate, I have good news. The Lindt chocolate shop slated for Mayfair mall is eight days from opening. Formal blast-off date: July 14. (To lovers of the dark: Have you ever had the Lindt Excellence 70 Percent Cocoa Bar? And the 85 Percent bar?) The Lindt & Sprüngli store will sell the Excellence bar collection (the selection pales, I’m sure, but I buy Lindt bars at Metro Market on Van Buren), the Lindor Collection of truffles (milk, dark, hazelnut, raspberry, peanut butter, orange) and the ever-popular boxed collection. That’s a gift that would make me happier than a dozen roses.

Big Italian MenuMukwonago. A village southwest of Milwaukee. Home of the (Apple Pie Baked in a Paper Bag) Elegant Farmer. Crash pad for the new Estella’s Italian Grille (325 Bay View Rd., Mukwonago, 262-363-0990). The sit-down place does not under-do it in the menu department. There are pizzas, pastas, steaks, seafood, veal and chicken dishes. Not to mention pork, meatloaf, lamb and a few sandwiches. And the menu gets a little longer yet on Fridays, when walleye, perch and Icelandic cod climb on board. Entrée prices run from $8.95 for spaghetti with marinara sauce to $29.95 for a Porterhouse steak. Most entrées come with soup or salad. Nope, I haven’t eaten here yet. Hours: Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

Cooking SchoolCare to continue your education this summer, your cooking education? The classes I’m going to tell you about are at classroom-themed Room 434 (that would be the former location of The Social, 434 S. Second St.). They’re held on Sundays, space is limited and you need to make reservations. The classes are demos (samples included). The schedule: Cooking 101, July 16 at 6 p.m.; $30. Latin American Series: Cuba (empanadas, ropa vieja and flan), July 23 at 6 p.m.; $40. Asian Cooking Basics: Dim Sum (marinated noodles, potstickers, spring rolls), July 30 at 6 p.m.; $40. In August, there’s Star Soups (8/6, 6 p.m.; $30) and Rustic Italian Dinner (8/13, 6 p.m.; $50). In the latter, students dine on a full meal, including prosciutto-wrapped asparagus with lemon-balsamic vinaigrette, chicken Marsala over polenta and tiramisu amaretto. Call 291-4021 to reserve your spot.